Nova Scotia Traditional Social Dances

Reels and quadrilles are still popular in many small communities in Cape Breton and around the Antigonish area. Popularly known as set dances or old-time squares, these dances use the square, longways or circle formation, often combining all three in the same dance. The figures or patterns are set for each dance, and certain figures are specific to particular communities. Thus in Inverness you will dance the Inverness Set, while in Cheticamp you will dance the Cheticamp Set. In Cape Breton, step dancing or shuffling steps are part of the set dance, especially outside of the Sydney area. These dances were known as country dances in Europe and share many of the same characteristics as Irish, Scottish and English country dancing and the French contra dances and quadrilles. Scottish Country Dance has been formalized into a standard technique, a set syllabus of dances and specific musical accompaniment by the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. Each year new dances, including dances devised by Nova Scotians, are added to the hundreds in the collection.

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Step Dance Links

Step Dancing - A Canadian Tradition